Valentine’s Day is three days away. Saccharine profusions of hearts and flowers not your thing? There’s a sweet option for folks without significant others — or would rather not have them. Sarah’s Pastries and Candies offers heart-shaped vanilla bean sugar cookies decorated with choice phrases like “No thanks”, “Not a chance”, and “There’s someone else”.
Cookies […]
The year of the rat.
Celebrate at Lao Beijing Restaurant in Chinatown with their Chinese New Year Family Style Dinner this Saturday, February 9, from 3:30-6:30 PM. Cost is $30 and includes dinner and other activities including a make-your-own-dumplings workshop. 2138 S. Archer, 312-881-0168.
As a child of Taiwanese immigrants, I was sometimes embarrassed by the ethnic dishes my mom served for Christmas dinner. I wanted the beautiful browned turkey and the honey-lacquered ham; what we got was roasted duck from Chinatown. (And you can stop it with the fa-ra-ra-ra-ra jokes already.) Now, a couple of decades later, I […]
Last Christmas a friend of mine received a Starbucks gift card from his boss. Not a very original gift, but it’s the thought that counts. And that thought must’ve been “I don’t want to offend you by not getting anything but I really couldn’t care less, so let’s see what’s in the lobby. Oh hey, […]
Here’s a confession: I’m really bad at making pie crust. I’ve tried just about everything — all-butter, all-shortening, half and half, the food processor method, the pastry cutter thing, bare hands — only to end up with something slightly too dry/too gooey/rolls out funny/holes in it. What’s a girl to do when she has to […]
One of my favorite fall comfort foods is butternut squash soup. It’s sweet, creamy, and a wonderful deep golden yellow — liquid autumn in a bowl.
This recipe was created by Shawn McClain, executive chef of Custom House, Spring, and Green Zebra restaurants here in Chicago. The addition of blue cheese provides a nice pungent counterpoint […]
Celebrate Day of the Dead with decadent chocolate skull truffles by D.L. & Co., pictured above. From left to right: scorched caramel, bitter white brandied cherry, curious chili. (I’m not making up these names, folks.) At an outrageous $100 for a set of three, the price alone will kill you.
Vosges offers three types of chocolate […]
Our favorite food and travel raconteur Anthony Bourdain has filmed a holiday episode of No Reservations with rockers Queens of the Stone Age. (I personally would’ve chosen a cooler band like, say, Iggy and the Stooges. But as one astute rollingstone.com reader pointed out, this is “much better than the ill-fated Emeril and King Diamond […]
